Korean J Intern Med.  2009 Jun;24(2):123-127. 10.3904/kjim.2009.24.2.123.

The Pulmonary Embolism Severity Index in Predicting the Prognosis of Patients With Pulmonary Embolism

• Choi WH
• Kwon SU
• Jwa YJ
• Kim JA
• Choi YH
• Chang JH
• Jung H
• Doh JH
• Namgung J
• Lee SY
• Lee WR

• KMID: 1717962
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3904/kjim.2009.24.2.123

Abstract

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Many prognostic models have been developed to help physicians make medical decisions on treating patients with pulmonary embolism. Among these models, the Pulmonary Embolism Severity Index (PESI) has been shown to be a successful risk stratification tool for patients with acute pulmonary embolism. The PESI, however, had not been applied to patients with pulmonary embolism in Korea.
METHODS
The patients included in this study were diagnosed by computed tomography at Inje University's Ilsan Paik Hospital between December 1999 and March 2007. Risk stratification for the patients was performed using the PESI. The mortality rate was calculated according to each PESI risk class.
RESULTS
Of the 90 patients enrolled in this study, ten were assigned to PESI class I, 29 to PESI class II, 22 to PESI class III, eight to PESI class IV, and ten to PESI class V. The mortality rate after 30 days in each class was 0, 10.3, 9.1, 0, and 50% (p=0.0016), respectively, whereas the respective hospital mortality rate was 4.8, 13.8, 13.6, 12.5, and 50% (p=0.0065). The overall mortality was 9.5, 27.6, 31.8, 50.0, and 60%, respectively (p=0.0019). The mortality rate was significantly associated with the PESI class.
CONCLUSIONS
The PESI class was found to be significantly correlated with the 30-day mortality rate, hospital mortality, and overall mortality. Our data indicate that the PESI can be used to predict the prognosis of patients with pulmonary embolism and in making medical decisions regarding the treatment of patients with pulmonary embolism.

Keyword

Pulmonary embolism; Prognosis

MeSH Terms

Acute Disease
Adult
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Female
Hospital Mortality
Humans
Korea/epidemiology
Male
Middle Aged
Predictive Value of Tests
Prognosis
Pulmonary Embolism/*diagnosis/*mortality/radiography/therapy
Retrospective Studies
Risk Assessment
Severity of Illness Index
Survival Analysis
Time Factors
Tomography, X-Ray Computed